TaskTracker Branches Out

Just been chatting with Michael M Ross, the man behind TaskTracker, software I’ve recommended several times here (it’s on the list to the left of this post) and in the column. It’s Real Useful Software in that you save time, you don’t waste time trying to figure it out, and in the end it all seems really, really logical. Oh and it’s free.

Well, not quite free anymore. Michael has just released version 1.1 and is now charging $25 for it after offering it as freeware and then donationware. Which is cheap, and you should buy if you can afford it, but Michael tells me that if you don’t the program won’t actually stop working, it will just nag you a bit more than it would otherwise.

Version 1.1 includes some nifty new features which are worth checking out. One allows you to automatically review images within TaskTracker; another ensures that loading the program doesn’t take too long (by only adding newer files and validating older ones) and, most intriguingly, ‘virtual folders’ which Michael says is in its early stages, but which I think could really go places.

Virtual Folders are collections of files you want to keep in one place. A small window appears — which then allows you to add a folder, and to drag files of any type from the TaskTracker list into it. The files themselves aren’t moved, but as long as those files exist on your computer, the virtual folders will keep them in their list, making it easy to get to stuff, irrespective of what kind of file they are. So if you’re working on a project, for example, you could keep all the bits and pieces in one virtual folder without ever having to root around in subfolders or Windows Explorer. Sort of WinFS without the Long (horn) wait.